Fighting Fire with Fire
by His Royal Pratness
Summary: Klaus/OC FBI Special Agent Sydney Barrow embarks on a mysterious murder investigation in Mystic Falls, recruiting the help of Klaus Mikaelson. Despite the contrast between Barrow's orthodox faith in the justice system and Klaus's diabolical methods of justifying the means, the two somehow finds more in each other than they could ever imagine.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just so you know, this story is highly inspired by a Klaroline story I've read a while back here on Fanfiction. if you guys are curious as to which story inspired me, the story is ****_The Cold Trail_**** by angellous08.**

* * *

Special Agent Sydney Barrow dropped the case file on the supervisor's desk with a triumphant grin apparent on her face. Her azure blue eyes glowed in satisfaction and the arrogance in her strides cannot be any less obvious to the supervisor of the division. The supervisor opened the blue folder, eyes squinting at the rap sheet of a recently caught criminal. He flipped through the files until he reached the last page. Agent Barrow had someone from her team finalize the paperwork to close the case.

"Very efficient, Barrow! You are the reason why my division's closing rate is the highest in New York City." Supervisor and Special Agent Logan Taylor expressed, clearly impressed by what he is seeing in the file.

Agent Barrow led her team to catch Jaden Harrison, a man who killed a twenty-five year old woman after he was caught dealing drugs in an underground casino. This case is different than any of her other old cases in the homicide division of the FBI because she had _extra_ motivation to solve the case this time around.

"Harrison is in custody, and his lawyer is prepping him for court in a week's time. So do we have a deal?" Sydney asked Taylor, eyes expectant.

Taylor made a sound of affirmative, placing the paperwork back into the file. He closed the blue folder over the papers and placed them in his overcrowding pile of solved cases. Barrow estimates that she solved 75% of the cases in the pile with her team.

"It seems like we do have a deal, Barrow." Taylor pulled open a drawer on his left side, using his fingers to flip through the alphabetically organized files.

While she waited for her supervisor to prepare the paperwork, she allowed herself to think ahead to the future. Now that she has earned her right to solve a homicide case outside of her jurisdiction, she might actually get some closure on something that had been haunting her for a full year.

"M-I-K-A-E-L—Mikaelson." Taylor pulled the case file out and dropped it on top of his table.

Almost instinctively, Sydney snatched the file from the desk. Her eyes dilated in anticipation and masked excitement as she opened the file. She did a quick scan of all the papers inside.

"That is everything I have on Kol Mikaelson. I'm assuming that you and your team will find more."

Taylor prepared Mikaelson's file right after he handed Harrison's case to her, assuming that Barrow would close this case faster than all her others. He made a deal with Barrow like he usually does with his agents in order to increase this division's closing rate. Occasionally, he would offer favors to his agents if they could solve one of the many cases in the pile of unfinished case files on his desk.

"Thank you, boss." Barrow breathed out dazzlingly.

Taylor sighed in exhaustion, giving her a slow nod. Before they made a deal, Barrow has been on his case about this Kol Mikaelson. She consistency pleaded with him for permission to pursue this case that is nowhere near their jurisdiction and he was adamant that no deal in the world could land her in Mystic Falls, Virginia.

Eventually, he caved in and promised to pull some strings to make it happen if she solved this unsolvable case involving the death of the 25 year old woman. Agent Barrow was good with the bizarre unsolvable cases, so it was quite fitting to hand the files over to her.

"I still think that this case is too personal for you." Taylor said doubtfully.

Sydney shot him an equally doubtful look that he viewed upon as denial.

"I need to know what happened to him, he's been dead for a whole year and no one has found the evidence." Her voice was soft, just a mere second of vulnerability.

The supervisor shrugged at his agent, hiding the fact that he did feel some sympathy for her. Professionally, he has to come off as nonchalant.

"We did have a deal and you've stepped up to your end of the bargain. Choose three of your willing agents and your favorite medical examiner, that's how much I'm willing to offer. Excluding flight tickets, your resources budget stop at $10,000. I'll give you three months. If you happen to need more, we can negotiate. You and your agents must return if I ask for you during an emergency. Are we clear, Agent Barrow?"

Sydney nodded wordlessly, finding no will in her to complain. She is already thankful that she is given the resources and time to get her hands on this case.

"Alright Barrow, I'll see you when you get back! I hope you find Kol's killer."

* * *

"Agent Barrow, I regrettably inform you that things aren't simple in this town. There are many happenings and deaths that simply cannot be explained. Kol Mikaelson's death is just another one of those." Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes said apologetically from behind her desk.

Barrow shared an irritated look with Special Agent Bartholomew Ross before turning back to the sheriff of Mystic Falls. She did not drag her team of four all the way from New York just to hear this. The sound of unsolvable murders and suspicious happenings is ridiculous and inexcusable for inefficiency in finding the truth.

"Listen, Sheriff Forbes, we are FBI, who, might I add, traveled over 600 miles to help your town find some justice. I am not going to stand here and let you send me back home with this murder unsolved." Barrow slammed her fist against her desk, leaning closer to the sheriff as an attempt to intimidate her.

The sheriff sighed, shaking her head at the four FBI agents in front of her desk. This Agent Barrow seems overly ambitious to get her hands on this case and she wondered why—Kol Mikaelson of all people. She wondered how the FBI knew that Kol was murdered and not just missing. It is unwise of her to ask, and she didn't.

"Very well then." Barrow said in victory when the sheriff didn't say anything more.

Sheriff Forbes pursed her lips at the head of the FBI team and raised an eyebrow expectantly for some type of command. She cannot deny the FBI because they are federal agents; her hands are tied in this situation.

"Give me everything you have on Kol Mikaelson and then we'll get started on our investigation."

Helplessly, Sheriff Forbes started printing the documents from her database.

* * *

Agents Barrow and Ross entered a bar titled _Mystic Grill_ after hearing that it is the location to be. Everyone in this town hung out here and plus, the food is adequate enough for the pair to start their investigation on. After the meeting with Sheriff Forbes, Barrow sent two of her agents and the medical examiner back to their hotel rooms. She decided to start looking at the case files with Ross over lunch.

"What's our game plan, boss?" Ross asked.

"We start from the beginning, keep this investigation quiet as long as we can." Sydney replied.

A waiter with sandy brown hair and baby blue eyes approached the pair with a polite smile on his face. Sydney guessed that he couldn't be older than eighteen or nineteen.

"Table for two?" He asked.

Agent Ross made a sound of agreement before they are both escorted to a table. When they settled in their seats, the waiter placed the menus in front of them. He glanced at them a bit suspiciously as if he is trying to decode them and their intentions here. Sydney finds it strange that everyone in this small town is immediately alarmed when unfamiliar faces show up.

"You guys aren't from here." The waiter stated.

"Yeah, well, we have a job to do." Barrow said as she placed her black brief case on her lap.

Baby blue eyes studied the blonde woman carefully, pursing his lips at her. He returned with a curt nod but a look of distrust is still on his face.

"Very well then, I'll be back for your order."

The waiter dismissed himself much too quickly, prompting for Sydney to keep an eye out on the waiter's whereabouts. While she is looking at Ross, she can see baby blue eyes approach a man by the bar from the corner of her eyes. She cannot see the man, only his backside and his shiny black leather jacket.

"Case files, boss?" Ross cleared his throat.

Rolling her eyes, Barrow opened her briefcase and pulled out the case files from it. She handed a copy of the folder to Ross and kept one for herself. Placing the briefcase back on her lap, she opened her copy of the file. The background chatters of the customers in this bar drowned out the shuffling of the papers between the pair.

Barrow's eyebrows furrowed when she made eye contact with Kol's picture on the first sheet of paper. His information is sprawled out right beside his picture; name, birthplace, eye color, hair color, and everything they can possibly have on him.

"Kol Mikaelson." Bart Ross sighed as his eyes started scanning through the information.

"Last place of residence believed to be here in Mystic Falls; moved out here two years ago and never to be heard of again for one year." Sydney finished sadly.

_At least I haven't heard from him_, Barrow thought to herself.

Ross scowled at the paperwork, flipping through the thin pages with apparent frustration on his face. There is barely anything on the guy.

"Agent Barrow?" Ross started uncertainly.

"Ross."

"How can you know that he is dead?"

Sydney didn't even have a chance to respond before a stranger appeared by their table with an agenda of his own.

"How can we know that who is dead?" That man in the shiny leather jacket asked curiously, almost mockingly.

Barrow narrowed her eyes at the raven-haired man, ignoring the fact that he is extremely easy on the eye, and fortunately, around her age. She closed her files immediately and watched as Ross did the same.

"Get lost." Barrow said unkindly.

Shiny leather jacket smirked at her in response, completely unfazed by her cold façade. One of his eyebrows perked up in a way where Barrow, of all people, found attractive. She pushed all of that aside and stared him down with pursed lips.

"You guys are the FBI agents, aren't you?" He ignored her request and continued on. _And a good looking one at that!_ Damon thought as his eyes landed on the blonde.

Nonchalantly, he pulled up another chair beside the blonde agent and continued to smirk at her when her teeth clenched.

"And how do you know that?" Ross asked from across them.

"Word spread around pretty quickly here in Mystic Falls."

Barrow continued to glare at shiny leather jacket but he still did not budge. That shit-eating smirk is still on his face as he extended out a hand for her to take. She refused to take his hand.

"The name's Damon Salvatore, and I'm hoping I can be great help around here."

When the female agent did not move, Damon turned to the brown haired agent across from them and shook his hand instead.

"Thank you for introducing yourself, which was completely unnecessary by the way…" Agent Barrow trailed off.

"Kol Mikaelson, oh sweet poor Kol." Damon wandered aloud, almost teasingly.

Barrow finally turned to look at Ross, sharing flabbergasted looks while they were in eye contact. Did Sheriff Forbes spill out their investigation to commoners already? _That unprofessional bitch_, Barrow cursed to herself.

"Oh, don't look so surprised, I peeked at your files _before_ you covered it all up with your paranoia." Damon's permanent smirk annoyed Barrow at this point.

She wanted to wipe it off his all-knowing face.

"What do you know about Kol Mikaelson?" Barrow tested.

The smirk left Damon's lips and something about him changed drastically. His blue irises suddenly turned icy from its previous calm, and something menacing covered his features—so menacing that it would scare if Barrow weren't so used to her job.

"I know enough to advise you to take you and your scrawny little asses back to where you came from."

"Oh and how are you going to convince me to do that?" Barrow raised an eyebrow defiantly.

Damon's eyes bore into hers, almost in a hypnotizing manner. They stared at her so intensely that it confused her to the extent where she couldn't bring herself to move or even blink.

"Because there are things that you don't know and won't ever understand; leave now and never come back, Agent Blondie."

Barrow snickered as soon as Damon blinked. She shook her head at him in disbelief, briefly glancing at Ross from the corner of her eyes.

"Oh please, I'm not taking orders from a smug son of a bitch like yourself. Please see yourself back to the bar, or preferably out of this vicinity." Barrow almost laughed when a look of shock flashed on Damon's face for just a mere second.

The look of shock appeared just as quickly as it disappeared and he got up from the chair with his signature smirk still in place. Something about his blue eyes told her that he is suspicious of her and her intentions here._Everyone in this town is intimidated by federal agents, such paranoid bunch_, she thought.

Damon turned from the pair and walked off, back to the bar. As soon he was out of earshot, Barrow turned to her agent with a shake of her head. Agent Ross covered his mouth to suppress his laughter. The confrontation between his leader and the strange man was beyond amusing.

"What the hell was _that_ about?"

Barrow ignored her operative and reopened the file.

"This town creeps me out; let's just quickly solve this case and go back to New York, yeah?"

Ross nodded, replicating her actions.

"Kol never told me about his family." She spoke aloud as her blue eyes landed on the said information on the file.

Ross snorted as a response, only to stare at his boss apologetically when she glared. Instead, he quickly returned to studying the file.

"I just texted Des to search up their addresses." Barrow announced.

Agent Ross did not say anything, only continued to stare at the file. The vagueness about this guy brought out the suspicions in him but he dared not question Barrow about the reasoning behind their involvement in this case. He did not want to get on her bad side; she might think that his loyalties do not lie with her.

"Rebekah Mikaelson… Elijah Mikaelson… Finn Mikaelson, deceased… And uh Niklaus Mikaelson…" Bart murmured.

Barrow's phone buzzed before Ross rambled on the list of his family members. She opened the text message and beamed at her screen as soon as she read it.

"Great! They all live in the same address! It's the same as the last address listed on Kol's file."

"They all lived together which means that they are all very close." Ross observed.

"Yeah, let's head over there now since it seems to me like that little shit of a waiter is not going to ask us for our orders."

Both detectives shook their heads in disbelief, getting up from their seats.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave your comments! Klaus will be in the next chapter, I promise! There will be romance in the story, but love? Well, you'll just have to wait and see! How do you guys feel about Kol's death being the center of this story? I hate the fact that he died and I need to vent out my anger in some way, to conduct a creative story around it.**

**Oh and WHO SAW THAT 100TH EPISODE OF TVD LAST NIGHT? It was the best thing ever! Damon was a dick, as always. Stefan proved way he is my favorite character EVER on the show. Klaus/Caroline finally got it on, like finally! And Elijah and Rebekah made their appearance. Everyone came back BUT GOD DAMN KOL DID NOT!**

**Alright, please leave your comments for this story! I am begging!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Hello, this is Special Agent Barrow and Special Agent Ross here to ask you questions about Kol Mikaelson." Barrow knocked on the door several times.

Agent Ross remained behind the female FBI agent, still staring at the large mansion in awe. He did not realize that there would be luxurious mansions around towns like Mystic Falls. Now he understands why the Mikaelson's lived together. _They have a freaking huge mansion with plenty of rooms to spare_, Ross thought.

The door creaked open slowly and a head stuck out in alarm. Barrow stepped back slightly as the door opened completely. She smiled at the man behind the door politely, taking in his appearance. Alike Kol, this man is attractive as hell. He has dark blonde hair, a pair of light blue eyes very much alike her own, and a strangely familiar smirk on his face. _He is definitely Kol's brother,_ Sydney sighed.

"I'm Klaus Mikaelson, to whom do I owe this _wonderful_ pleasure?" Klaus smiled at the beautiful blonde in front of him, completely disregarding the fact that she is an FBI Agent.

Sydney pushed a few strands of her long blonde hair behind her ear and extended out a hand for him to shake. She noted his British accent, and she did expect it—Kol had a British accent too.

"I am Special Agent Sydney Barrow, and behind me is Agent Bart Ross. We're from the FBI."

Klaus shook her hand and she almost gasped when their skin fell in contact. His skin is so cold against hers, nearly in a similar matter when she made contact with Kol. It is strange for her to be making a bunch of comparisons right now. After knowing Kol for years, she had no idea that he had siblings or perhaps a family. Now, with Kol gone, the only remnants she has left of him are whatever is in front of her.

"Oh, please come in by all means!" Klaus moved aside to let the agents inside the mansion.

When the agents stepped foot inside, they followed Klaus to the grandeur living room with beautiful paintings adjourning the walls. Ross glanced up at the chandelier lights in awe but Sydney completely ignored it. She is already used to lovely mansions, after visiting Kol's mansion back in NYC plenty of times.

Klaus Mikaelson gestured toward the sofa seats and both agents sat down side by side. The host took a seat across from them, flashing a small smile.

"So you guys are here about Kol?" He sounded very confused.

Ross is really confused about this entire case too. He did not understand why they have to travel all the way from New York City to solve a case about a man no one knew much about, a case where there is no evidence of this said man being dead. Bart Ross is an FBI agent but he has never felt so unprofessional in his life. Sydney is leading this investigation, so his best shot is just following her leads.

"I know it has been about a year since his death, we've been a little late—but I really want to find his killer and do his death justice." Barrow rested both her arms on her legs as she leaned toward the victim's brother.

Klaus studied the blonde carefully with the same look of suspicion everyone in this town has been shooting her. She did not like the feeling of people distrusting her—all she is trying to do is tie the loose end.

"How do you know Kol is dead?" Klaus tested.

"Are you telling me that he isn't?" Sydney challenged.

"I'm not saying anything; you shouldn't have come here, love."

Sydney is now angry instead of sympathetic. She is tired of everyone telling her to drop this case and go back home. No one understands how much solving this murder case means to her; no one understands how able she is to solve unsolvable cases like this one. No one should underestimate her; no one should disregard this case.

"KLAUS MIKAELSON!" Sydney bellowed, slamming both hands on top of the coffee table in front of her.

Agent Ross squirmed at not only the anger expressed by the blonde but by her abuse of expensive furniture. He even didn't dare move in his spot on the sofa because everything in it looked extremely expensive.

Klaus, however, did not seem to be intimidated by the FBI agent. He remained in his spot, motionless, same smile on his face.

"Let's just say that Kol is still alive…" She started, after calming down.

"Isn't he?" Klaus interrupted.

"Okay, he is alive. He is last seen on January 30th of last year. This place here is listed as his last place of residence. After the 30th day of January, there are no more records of him existing. Where do you suppose he is right now?" She explained the scenario.

Mikaelson placed a hand on his stubby chin, deep in thought, or at least feigning his thoughtful look. He leaned back into the sofa seat and folded one leg over another.

"I don't know, maybe he changed his name and moved out of the country…?" Klaus is not taking this seriously.

Barrow glared at him and then shared a look of irritation with her operative. The brunette shot his boss a reassuring smile, gesturing for her to continue on. Sometimes when she spoke to the victims' friends or family, they weren't helpful at all. This is just another instance of the frequent scenario. _Taylor's right, this is too personal,_ Barrow thought.

"Tell me, Agent Barrow, what brought you here to Mystic Falls? What is it about Kol that brought you all the way here?" The man questioned.

Sydney gulped, looking away from the victim's brother for just a mere second. She did not want to admit to anyone the real reason she was insistent enough to be here. It is also unreasonable for her to lie. She cannot expect to find the truth if she lied her way through everything.

"Kol's death is a special case, I like unusual cases like this."

"Very well, then, please share with me what you know." Klaus requested.

Barrow did not understand how the tables have turned during this meeting. They are the FBI agents and she was supposed to be in control of this session. This is her investigation, she should be the ones asking questions and retrieving information. It seem like Klaus understands the art of mind control.

She needs to take a different approach; she needs to make him _want_ to answer her question.

"I know that Kol is dead, you are not going to convince me otherwise. He died in Mystic Falls. I've done my research Mr. Mikaelson." Barrow said.

Klaus raised an eyebrow but nodded wordlessly in agreement. He did not look like he is about to protest.

"His death is a special case, you are definitely right, Mr. Mikaelson. It is very hard to seek out concrete evidence for this investigation. My team and I agree that we have a bit of a complication as to where to start except for your mansion. Now, let me tell you…" Sydney place her left leg on top of her right, an arrogant grin on her face, "… there is nothing more suspicious looking than an uncooperative sibling. Obviously, his body is nowhere to be found so you are taking the opportunity to lead me to think that he isn't dead."

The man tilted his head, a look of anger flashing in his features now. His eyes stared at her, dead-on and stiff cold. Barrow, unfazed, continued on with her observation.

"You have FBI agents in your living room discussing the matters of your brother's death and you counter my questions with a shit-eating grin on your face. You know damn well what I'm trying to say."

Klaus glared at her.

"What are you trying to say, Agent Barrow?"

"That _you_, in fact, killed your brother."

The victim's brother shot up from his seat, but not before slamming his fists against his expensive coffee table. Agent Ross squeaked again, staring at the abused furniture in disbelief.

"I did _not_ kill Kol!" Klaus growled.

"Let me tell you what I think, Mr. Mikaelson, you killed your brother and very effectively hid his body in hopes that no one would notice his disappearance or death. Then, feds show up at your doorstep with the discovery of what you've been trying to hide. Your biggest fear has come true for you, and you decided to convince me that Kol is not dead so we can drop this case."

"Agent…"

"YOU want us to drop the case so that we won't ever find out what happened to him. The sheriff of Mystic Falls won't do shit to find out where Kol is. Yes, we do not have much information on Kol Mikaelson, but you have proven that you hid everything concrete on him by your nonchalant and oblivious front—and I know you are clearly lying. You want to know why you hid the evidence?"

"Agent Barrow, I…"

"I know why you hid the evidence. You want us to turn back around and give up because one, this case isn't within our jurisdiction. Two, we wouldn't have purpose to be here if we do not have enough information to carry on this investigation. It would benefit you because if we do not have enough evidence, we get sent home. And when we get sent home, we wouldn't have proof that YOU, Klaus Mikaelson, murdered your own brother and stashed the body."

Klaus let out a loud growl of frustration as he took angry strides toward the seated agent. He pointed an index finger at the blonde, and she took notice that his whole body is shaking.

_I broke him wide open_, she thought triumphantly.

"I DID NOT KILL KOL!"

"Oh, the defensive of a killer, it's getting less and less fruitful over the years, isn't that right, Agent Ross?" She turned to her agent, making sure to let the suspect know that she is taunting him.

"That's right, Agent Barrow." Agent Ross replied, clearly growing more and more impressed with Barrow.

He knows that she is capable of breaking her suspects or even witnesses. She has methods and ways, a master manipulator she is. But he has never seen her point an accusatory finger at the victim's siblings unless there is enough proof that they are the killer.

"KLAUS MIKAELSON, YOU TELL ME WHERE THE HELL KOL'S BODY IS RIGHT NOW!" Barrow shouted, getting up from her seat.

"I don't know where his body is."

"BULLSHIT! YOU STASHED HIS BODY. You buried it under ground or something right? Perhaps you stabbed him and dumped his body in some unknown body of water. Or maybe you are wise enough to bury a dead body in a graveyard where no one will look because EVERYBODY UNDER THERE IS ALREADY DEAD. Oh, or maybe…"

"HIS BODY WAS BURNED OKAY?" Klaus screeched, clearly had enough of the blonde's wild theories.

Agent Barrow grinned in victory, sharing looks with her fellow agent._Now, that is how you get information out of arrogant pricks like him_, she wanted to say.

"Oh, so you know what happened to his body." Agent Barrow replied tauntingly.

His blue eyes softened as soon as he allowed himself to blurt out the information. He blinked several times, looking to be more vulnerable. Vulnerable is not something she expected to see on his face.

"I didn't kill him. Someone sent me a picture of my brother's burnt body." Klaus said softly.

Barrow froze, clearly bothered by the information he just shared. She snapped out of it as soon as she allowed it to bother her. It was just a flicker of a moment, because now, she decided to move on in her questioning.

"Why did you lie to me, Klaus?"

"Because if I showed the picture to anyone, no one will believe me. People will say that it might be a sick joke, or that it was photoshopped. But you know what? I have a feeling, that I _just_ know that he is dead. The picture is real. I bloody know it!"

_I believe you_, Barrow sighed. She gave him a curt nod and started dusting off her black dress pants.

"May I see this picture you spoke about, Mr. Mikaelson?" Barrow asked.

After giving a solemn nod, Klaus disappeared into another connected room. In his absence, Ross took the opportunity to praise the blonde.

"Damn, Barrow, you're good." He said in awe.

"I'm good because it's my god damn job." Barrow winked.

Their conversation trailed off when Klaus reappeared inside the room with a picture in hand. Shaking his head, he handed the picture over to the blonde agent. Barrow blinked several times, bracing for the worse before she allowed herself to look down at the picture.

"Thank you, Mr. Mikaelson. I just have a few more questions regarding this picture."

"That's fine, love. Do you believe me?" Klaus looked a bit frightened, which is strange considering how he acted previously.

"I believe you, Mr. Mikaelson. How did you receive this picture?"

"It was slipped under my front door."

"Do you have any idea who sent it?"

"Of course not, agent."

"Alright, if you were to make one wild guess, who do you think it could be?"

"The sick bastard who killed him."

Barrow sighed in defeat but gave the man a nod.

"I would like to keep this picture if you do not mind. It will be returned to you… if you want it back."

"No thanks, you can keep it, Agent Barrow."

"Very well then, we will keep in touch. Do not leave town anytime soon, do you hear me, Mr. Mikaelson?"

"Of course, love, I have nowhere to go anyways."

_This charming fool,_ Sydney internally rolled her eyes. She turned from the victim's brother and started walking out of the mansion. Agent Ross held out an evidence bag for her to place the picture inside. Luckily Barrow decided to wear gloves today, because her fingerprint would be all over the item and her print—plus Klaus's—would make catching prints more complicated.

_We won't find prints on it_, her subconscious told her. She knows that.

"Ross, call Des, tell him to retrieve reports on any fires that took place on the entire month of January and even February in 2013." Barrow ordered her agent and watched as he took out his phone.

Klaus smiled at the agents as he kindly escorted them both out of his mansion. As soon as he closed the door behind them, he sighed to himself.

"They better find the killer."

* * *

**A/N: Shazam! Chapter two! But yeah, who enjoyed the showdown between Barrow and Klaus? (And I feel awkward every time I write Barrow cuz there's a recent episode of Teen Wolf where there's a villain named Barrow.) Enough of that, I felt totally in the mood to post this because that episode of the Originals tonight was blazin'.**


	3. Chapter 3

Barrow entered Agent Desmond Rollin's hotel room, raising a hand out to greet her loyal team. She eyed the perimeter and is glad to see that her team is at work. Ross and Rollin are both on the latter's laptop, jotting down a list of information. The medical examiner, Stacy Clare, is studying the picture of Kol's burnt body up on her own laptop. Her eyes squinted, doing some photo editing to retract the information she need.

Last but not least, the only other female agent in her homicide team, Satine Chandler is glancing through the papers inside the case file. She seems to be concentrating until Barrow entered the room. The leader sat down beside Agent Chandler, looking over her shoulder to see what she is up to.

"Hey Syd, I was just wondering, how the hell did you know that Kol is dead?" Satine asked.

Barrow scowled at her agent, gesturing toward the picture on the medical examiner's screen. She realizes that she is letting her team go into this case blind and confused. They have no idea why they are doing this, but they are just following her directions. Because they are so willing to do what is asked without knowing the full story, she chose them.

"Kol Mikaelson's older brother, Niklaus Mikaelson gave me this picture—do we really need to go over this again?"

Agent Chandler dropped the topic immediately, going back to the case file. Barrow got up from the chair and walked over to Stacy, who seems to have gotten something from the photograph. The medical examiner shifted slightly after acknowledging her presence.

"What do you have, Stace?"

"Alright, although it was doubtful that this picture is actually real…" The redhead shot the other agents a look, signifying that they did not believe in Klaus's story, "… evidence from the burn marks on his body and his face match. You see the remnant of dark red on that spot over there?"

Barrow followed the M.E.'s finger, identifying the said area. There is indeed a dark red spot on his upper right chest, presumably where his heart was. She blinked several times, trying her best not to get too emotional. Her personal connection with the victim cannot get in the way of her professionalism.

"So he was stabbed or shot before he burned?" Barrow asked.

The medical examiner made a sound of affirmative. She clicked on several vital points in the burnt body with her mouse, pointing them out to the blonde agent as she did that. Sydney noticed that the points help Stacy figure out how deep the burn was or how powerful the fire was.

"I'll brief you about the actual murder weapon later; I just want to point out to you that the dark color of the burns signifies that his body was in the fire for a long time before it was dragged out. The fire was really strong. I think it was part of a huge fire. Like huge enough to possibly burn an entire building down? Yeah, that's what I think."

Barrow nodded, gesturing for Des's attention from across the room. The agent looked up at the blonde, blinking expectantly at her.

"Des, I want you and Ross to highlight the huge fires from the report; specifically fires large enough to burn down a house or fatally damage it."

Both agents nodded at her command. Ross reached for a highlighter from across the table and started picking out the details. Barrow returned her attention to Stacy, and this time, the medical examiner circled the area of the body's wound in red. She fought back tears as the examiner zoomed into the area.

"It would be so much more helpful if we didn't have to just examine a picture. I really want to see the actual body." Stacy muttered.

Barrow shook her head and gestured for her examiner to continue.

"So you see how wide the wound is? It's definitely not a bullet—so we can rule out all guns from the equation. It's not a knife either because the shape of the wound, it looks nothing like the shape of the knife."

Before Barrow can voice out her thoughts, the M.E. interrupted her.

"I know what you are thinking, it is weird as hell. Not a gun, not a knife… what could it be? Well, when I looked closer, I can see splinters from some type of wood. Possibly from a tree… a very old tree."

The female agent sighed loudly, dropping both of her hands down on her lap. This case is indeed bizarre. Usually, she would be into the challenge, more than willing to figure out the murder case. This time, however, she just wants to know what happened to Kol Mikaelson. The process of how to reach the conclusions means nothing to her.

"Alright, we'll worry about the tree later. I want to figure out the scene of the crime first. What do we have, Des?"

Desmond Rollins pulled the paper from Ross's grip and started reading off of it, despite the protest of the latter.

"There was an explosion in this church in the beginning of January…"

"We are talking about fire, not explosive…" Sydney said.

Des nodded, pointing at something on the list.

"Alright, this next one is good. You're going to like this… someone's whole house burned down, literally to ashes… okay almost to ashes."

Barrow's eyebrow furrowed, nodding in agreement. She realized that this house is worth looking at. It is not everyday an entire house from a small town burns down.

"Okay, whose house…?"

"This is the Gilbert household…"

"… Elena Gilbert, age 18, parents died from a car accident, younger brother recently died from an unknown accident—wow this town is freaky as hell… anyways, she claimed that the house burned down because of an accident in the kitchen." Bart Ross interrupted his partner.

Barrow smiled in accomplishment, believing that tragic deaths and burnt houses meant vengeance and maybe Kol someone got stuck in the middle of it.

"You know what I'm thinking?" Sydney asked.

"What are you thinking, boss?"

"Let's just say that Kol is somehow involved in whatever happened to her baby brother. She might want revenge, and then she kills Kol and burns down her whole house to eradicate all evidence. Because she lost all her loved ones; what has she got to lose, right?"

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement.

"Alright, where is Elena Gilbert living now?"

Ross clicked on something in the FBI database and another screen popped up on Des's laptop.

"She is living in the Salvatore boarding house, don't ask me why, it's what it says… Stefan Salvatore, the late Zach Salvatore, and…"

"Damon Salvatore." Ross and Barrow murmured at the same time.

They both remembered the annoying prick that interrupted their first briefing of the case at _Mystic Grill_. Barrow is not surprised that such a meddling bastard like himself would end up in the mess of this case. The blonde rolled her eyes, placing an exhausted hand over her head.

Des and Satine shared confused looks, obviously out of the loop on what that name meant to either of the other two. Satine dropped the case file and walked toward the group with a piece of paper in hand. When she approached Barrow, she handed her the piece of paper.

"Mortgage information says that Elena has ownership of the house."

Sydney groaned in frustration; everything is complicated in this case. But at least they have a wonderful lead—they have to get right to it.

"Alright, since I absolutely do not want to see Damon Salvatore's smug face right now, I am going to check out the Gilbert house and see what I can find from there." Barrow proposed.

Everyone in the team stopped what they were doing to give her their undivided attention. Even Stacy managed to look away from the computer screen.

"Ross and Chandler, I want you two to head over to the Salvatore boarding house and speak with Elena Gilbert. Oh, Ross, if Damon intervenes again, feel free to give him a punch in the face. Just say that I authorized it."

Ross grinned at Barrow, nodding quickly.

"Des, while we are out, please skim through the rest of the list and look for any other suspicious activities that can link it to Kol."

"Yes, boss."

"And Stacy? You figure out what the murder weapon is and try to find a plausible information of what exactly happened in the house."

Stacy made a sound of affirmative.

"Alright, let's go get some shit done, guys!"

* * *

Sydney stared at the burnt remains of the Gilbert household, placing a hand above her head to get a good look against the backdrop of the sun. The house is completely destroyed and definitely far from the result of a mere kitchen accident. _Gilbert is definitely lying_.

"Did you find anything?" A familiar British accent startled the FBI agent.

Barrow turned to the direction of the voice, glaring at the man standing directly behind her. Klaus grinned at the agent, an eyebrow perked in curiosity and interest. Her bright blue eyes narrowed at him and her left foot tapped against the pavement ground impatiently.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Mikaelson?"

"Please call me Klaus, love."

"Have you been following me, Klaus?" Barrow questioned, folding both arms across her chest.

The British man chuckled, taking a few steps toward her. She backed up when he got closer in proximity. He blinked at her several times and suddenly, a huge grin broke out on his face. She got her answer from that look.

"Please leave the investigating to me, Klaus. I know you want to know what happened, but interfering with my work won't get you anywhere." Barrow decided to take a friendlier approach to this situation.

Sometimes, it helps to be a bit more understanding. Klaus just wants to know what happened to his brother. The way things went down definitely gave anyone reason to be curious and persistent.

"I want to help."

"Klaus, the best help you can do is give me background on what your brother has been doing at Mystic Falls before January 30th. Other than that, you go home and wait."

"No, you can't do this without me." Klaus said confidently.

"Oh yeah?" Barrow shot him a testing look.

Klaus walked toward the house, prompting for the blonde to follow suit. She trailed on behind him and watched as he walked into the house without a single ounce of hesitation. It seems like he might have been here before, or he might be too curious to care what he was walking into.

He is not scared of what he could find in there, which impressed her. Just for that, she did not stop him when he kicked open what was left of the front door.

"This is a small town and as you can see, they are extremely distrusting of newcomers, FBI agents especially. I was Kol's brother and I know the right people to talk to, the right place to look. Besides, I know my way around this town and the people here. How do you think you are able to manage without me?" Klaus questioned.

Barrow ignored his argument and scanned the perimeters of what is left of the house.

Whatever happened is definitely not caused by a kitchen mishap; most of the items inside had already been burnt to crisps and ashes. The whole house would've completely turned to ashes if the fire were put out half an hour later than it did. Luckily, there are still some items hanging around.

"This place is too damaged to retract finger prints from. There is nothing you can scan." Klaus mumbled when he entered another room.

It seems like that room had once been a kitchen. The remnants of the microwave are resting on the corner of the floor, and it gave her the hint.

"You're right." Sydney murmured as she picked up a rugged teddy bear from the ground.

"Sydney?" Klaus called from the other room.

Barrow is taken aback by the fact that he referred to her by her first name. Only people who knew her well had the authority to do that. Otherwise she is just Barrow, or Agent Barrow.

"Yes?" She tried to push away the annoyance in her voice.

"You think Elena Gilbert did this?"

"I do, but I'm going to give her the benefit of a doubt. She is innocent until I can absolutely prove that she is guilty. That's how I see the law." Barrow said casually.

She kicked at the dust on the floor and almost sighed when she felt something solid against her feet. When she examined the object carefully, she almost smiled because the item that survived the fire happened to be a journal.

Barrow bent down to pick it up, letting out a cough when the dust tickled her nose. She blew off the ashes on top of the journal and slowly opened it, careful not to break the delicate object.

"Look what I found!" Klaus emerged from the room.

The agent ignored him, trying to decipher the first line of the journal. The ink is slightly blotched from the burning, but it is still readable if patient. Her eyes squinted for several moments before she decided to take out her flashlight.

"What is this?" Klaus is suddenly besides her, examining the journal in her hand.

Barrow turned on her flashlight and pointed it at the page. She nodded to herself now that the words are easier to read.

"Dear Diary…" She mumbled.

"Ahh, young Elena Gilbert's diary! You might want to keep that. She has all the juicy stuff in there!" Klaus remarked.

Barrow pulled out an evidence bag, carefully placing the diary journal inside. When she was done, she handed the bag to Klaus, only to realize that he is holding a perfectly intact crossbow. _How come it didn't burn?_

"I found this in the kitchen." Klaus said when she shot him a look.

The British man grinned at her when she held out a hand for the item.

"I don't have a bag big enough for the crossbow. If we want to salvage some fingerprints from it, you might want to keep _your_ fingerprints off of it."

Klaus nodded, placing the item on her gloved hands.

"Alright, I'm going to head back to my makeshift lab and have everything examined and tested." She started to turn.

The man cleared his throat.

"No."

Barrow raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"_We_ are going to examine the evidence in your makeshift lab."

The agent glared at him for a few moments, waiting for him to retract his statement. She did not want him to get involved in her investigation but it seems like he is not going to budge. They stared at each other several more seconds before the blonde gave up.

"Alright, fine, let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

Sydney read through the report from the fire station, using her blue highlighter to capture the important details. She needed to make sense of what exactly happened in the house because whatever happened to Kol most likely happened in that Gilbert house. The report claimed that Elena Gilbert was not in her house, that she was long gone while the fire was going. A concerned neighbor called the fire in and the fire squad arrived as soon as they could.

It is said that Elena never returned to her property. The document in front of her also noted that Elena accidentally left the stove on before she left the house that night. Barrow thinks that it is bullshit. One, Elena was in the house before the fire started. Two, she was the one who set the fire. Three, she set the fire. Four, she set the fire.

"She set the god damn fire." Barrow growled to herself.

She dropped the document against her lap, running a tired hand through her oily blonde hair. It has been a while since she allowed herself to wash her hair. This case is eating at her alive, to an extent where she did not spare time just to shampoo her hair. The vivid details of the fire patterns, the size of the fire, the source of the fire, the precise color of the flames, the direction the fire traveled, the temperature of the fire in both Fahrenheit and Celsius, and the duration of the fire burning effectively painted a picture in her head.

At this point, Sydney knew exactly how the fire took the house down. She understood everything she could possibly understand regarding the takedown of the Gilbert house. The only problem is her main problem; she did not know what happened inside the house aside from the fire. She did not know how the fire destroyed everything except for the journal and the unscathed crossbow.

It is very likely that the fire burned Kol's body to a crisp; she just needs evidence that his body was there. According to Stacy's observations, the body was dragged out fifteen minutes after the fire spread throughout the entire house.

Barrow's thoughts are interrupted by the light knocks made against the hotel room door. All of the agents inside jumped at the sound, shooting each other glances. Everyone looked beyond confused and alarmed.

"Expecting anyone?" Sydney turned to Des.

"No, not at all."

"No late night booty calls or anything?" Ross clarified.

Des rolled his eyes as he got up from the chair. As soon as he left, Ross took over the laptop screen on the desk. When Agent Rollin opened his hotel room door, he is surprised to find Klaus Mikaelson behind the door. He let out a sigh of annoyance as soon as he met eyes with the Brit.

Yesterday afternoon, right after Barrow returned with evidence from the Gilbert house, she brought back the nosy Klaus Mikaelson. He sat through their investigation and witnessed the team run fingerprints on the crossbow that he found. He watched the shocked looks on all of their faces when they found that the fingerprints belonged to the late Jeremy Gilbert, Elena's brother.

This time, however, Klaus brought a bottle of red label Johnnie Walker. Similar as always, a signature smirk is plastered on his face as he waited to be invited inside the hotel room.

"You again?" Des sighed.

"Good to see you too, mate!" Klaus chirped enthusiastically.

Barrow looked up from her paper work and frowned when her eyes landed on the scruffy man by the door. He beamed at her when he noticed her sights on him. Sydney tried her absolute best to convince him that her team can handle this case, but Klaus is just as stubborn as herself—just as stubborn as Kol had been.

"What are you doing here?" Barrow questioned.

With both his eyebrows perked upwards, Klaus pursed his lips and glanced at the whisky bottle in his hand. Agent Chandler squealed excitedly when she noticed the bottle.

"Let the man in, Des, he got the whisky!" Satine demanded.

After getting a curt nod from Agent Barrow, Des stepped aside to allow the Brit inside. Klaus held up the Johnnie Walker as he entered graciously. He walked past Satine, who has her sights on the bottle.

"What have you FBI agents been up to all day?" Klaus asked as he placed the bottle on the counter.

Barrow picked up all the documents of the fire report and got up from her comfortable position on the floor. Before walking over to Klaus, she dusted off her dark pants. The blue-eyed man took the report from the blonde agent and scanned through the highlighted bits.

"Very impressive, Barrow." Klaus is clearly impressed by her ability to extract the important parts of the long document.

"It's my god damn job to be impressive, Mikaelson."

Klaus chuckled at her and handed back the report.

"As informative as this report is…"

"… It's complete and utter bullshit." Barrow finished.

They both glanced at each other, perplexed at the fact that they both reached the same conclusion. For two conflicting forces, they sure do have some sort of common ground. The puzzled looks turned into confident smiles; each knows where the other is getting at regarding this document.

"The only real detail we can extract from this is…"

"… How the house burned."

"And what we are missing is how the fire destroyed everything inside the house. It means that Elena Gilbert…"

"Is a lying bitch and…"

"Cunning arsonist?" Klaus suggested, widened eyes blinking at her innocently.

The two stared at each other wordlessly, identical looks of satisfaction on their faces. Both are shocked that they are even in the same book, let alone on the same page. The FBI team and medical examiner stared at the pair with dropped jaws. They stared at the pair in a mixture of disbelief and amusement.

"Look what we have here, real life Castle and Beckett!" Stacy snorted.

"How adorable is it that they're just finishing each other's sentences?" Satine cooed.

Barrow rolled her eyes and removed her attention from Klaus. She dropped the report on the desk beside Desmond's computer.

"As honorable as it is to be directly compared to the great Kate Beckett, _he_ is definitely not Castle." Sydney scoffed, going along with the _Castle_references.

Everyone in this team is familiar with the crime television drama, since they are, indeed, law enforcers. Klaus, however, clearly looked to be lost in the reference this whole team is going on about.

"_Anyways_, Klaus is now our informant on this case. He is not too shabby on assisting us, if you haven't noticed." Barrow explained to her team.

Neither of them objected to her clarification because they never disagreed with Barrow. They are all unconditionally loyal to her because they've seen her in action so many times; Barrow always knows what she is doing.

"Informant? You make me sound like a criminal, darling."

Snickering, Sydney shook her head at Klaus. He is still in light spirits despite the fact that he just lost control of this conversation and from what she's seen so far, Klaus does not like to lose control of anything.

"You mean a _criminal_ informant? Ha, well, it means you have something to prove. You better give me better results than my previous C.I."

The Brit is clearly amused.

"A criminal informant in the homicide division? What did you do, allow a murderer to help you catch other murderers? Where can I sign up?" Klaus quipped.

Barrow's team started chuckling at the comment, each earning a glare from her. Neither of them wiped off the amused looks on their faces this time around.

"Do you think I would take advice from a murderer? I'm not _that_ desperate," Sydney spat out defensively and then quickly added, "I was in the white collar division before I was transferred to homicide, by the way."

Klaus's mouth is formed in an o-shape, and still trying to hide a smile he is dying to express. The way his empty accusation offended Barrow enlightened him to no end. It is so easy for him to get on her nerves for just being playful; what would she be like if he actually got in her way or expressed difference in opinion on something serious like the case?

"So what are we going to do now?" He decided to revert the topic back to the case.

Barrow held in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. She briefly glanced at Agent Bart Ross, sharing a nod with him. Then her blue eyes reverted back to the victim's brother.

"When Ross and Chandler spoke to Elena Gilbert yesterday, she was rather unhelpful. She stuck to the story that was on the fire report…"

"Which was complete rubbish, by the way…"

"… And she mentioned that her younger brother, Jeremy Gilbert died mysteriously on an island. This girl is sketchy, everything about her rings suspicion. But I want to focus on Jeremy Gilbert." Barrow snatched another file from the desk and tossed it at Klaus.

Klaus caught the file with ease, casually opening the blue folder to view the contents inside. He didn't pay the paper the attention that it needs, instead, glancing at the blonde FBI agent.

"Because his prints are on the crossbow." Klaus added.

"I am quite curious about the crossbow, aren't you?"

"Sure, because it could possibly be the murder weapon." He replied.

Barrow shot Stacy a look only to get a similar one in return. They are both unsure if the crossbow had anything to do with Kol's death. Stacy concluded that some sort of wood from an old tree caused the wound through his heart, that it was carved in a particular shape.

When Sydney first viewed the crossbow as a possibility of the murder weapon, she made an assumption that maybe the wielder carved wooden arrows and used it to shoot at Kol. Stacy quickly dissuaded the agent from thinking that. The shape simply did not fit the layout of the crossbow.

"It's not the murder weapon, is it?" Klaus noticed the looks the women shared.

Biting her lips, Sydney shook her head at him.

"Nope, not a chance."

"I see, so what are we going to do with Jeremy Gilbert if he didn't kill my brother?"

Barrow folded her arms across her chest, chiding the man with her narrowed eyes. He should not be asking such a simple-minded question like that. It is a rookie move, for sure, especially when the answer is so obvious.

"Jeremy is a minor who wields a crossbow, isn't that worth an eyebrow raise? And my team and I have this hunch that tells us that Elena's one possible motive for killing Kol is if he had something to do with what happened to Jeremy."

Klaus's confusion quickly turned into a grin. He is a bit fazed by the fact that he cannot bring his mind to think like an agent. Although he is the master manipulator, power hungry and all, his investigating skills are not up to par with Sydney Barrow.

Sydney snatched Jeremy's file from his hand and brought it back to the pile of things on the desk. She is tired of this case already. Nothing in this town is normal in her eyes, which is why she has a surge of distaste for it. Normally, she likes that these cases do not follow the standard layout of most murders, but this is _Kol's_ case. She hates Mystic Falls because he left New York City for this stupid town, because he breathed in his last breath in this stupid town.

"Let's call it a night?" Ross looked up at the blonde for confirmation.

She gave her operative a curt nod and in return, everyone visibly sighed in relief. Her team is exhausted from all the unusual events that happened in their investigation, they are equally tired and confused. She put her team through so much already, the least she can do is allow them some time to rest and recoup for tomorrow.

"Alright, I'll see all of you back in this room at 9 in the morning!" Sydney gestured toward the entrance of this hotel room.

Satine got up from her seat and immediately snatched the scotch right from the counter. Her eyes wandered around the room in search of protest, and fortunately for her, everyone was too tired to worry about it. Klaus snickered at her when she hugged the alcohol tightly against her chest.

Without taking a second glance back at her operatives, Barrow left the hotel room. She turned on her left side and walked toward the elevator. While leading her team to believe that she is going back to her room to rest, a new agenda is in mind for her.

"Let me be a gentleman and walk you to your room, Ms. Barrow." Klaus emerged from behind her, nearly startling her like he always does.

This guy seems to like showing up out of nowhere. Barrow really needs to get used to that. When she turned to look at him, she sensed the look of understanding in his eyes. He beamed at her just as the elevator door opened. She walked inside and watched as Klaus followed suit. The elevator door closed, and they both grinned at each other knowingly.

Klaus has no intention of walking her to the hotel room.

"So you remember the name of the…"

"…Yes I remember the name of the island Jeremy _died_ on."

"And you have your laptop…"

"… Set up and ready to go."

Klaus laughed, leaving Barrow confused and offended.

"What?"

"We have got to stop finishing each other's sentences."

* * *

**A/N: Alright guys, things will start to kick up like three notches starting in the next chapter. Barrow is going to have several "holy shit" moments.**


	5. Chapter 5

"I am really not looking forward for this." Barrow muttered as they climbed on the front steps of the Salvatore boarding house.

Klaus chuckled at her distaste for this place. He is nonchalantly walking beside her as if the next step of the investigation is the easiest task in the world. The two stayed up all night, cooped up in Agent Barrow's hotel room. After some investigating, the two decided that they needed to go to the island in order to find out what happened there.

They've constructed a plan to extract information out of Elena or even the Salvatore brothers. Klaus kept Barrow up to date about the deal between the three. Apparently, the three are involved in a love triangle; both brothers loving Elena, and vice versa. He also informed her that the three are extremely stubborn and that the plan they've constructed might not even work.

"Are you sure you want to do this, love?" Klaus placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her from approaching the front door.

The FBI agent turned to him with her lips pursed and her eyebrows perked upwards. She doesn't need his warning; he is trying to pull her back from doing something so confrontational. He suggested the two to conduct a trick with their intentions of exploiting them hidden, but alike her usual practice, she likes to show them her authority.

Klaus backed off when her eyes hardened, holding both hands up at her defensively. With that, the blonde slammed her fist against the door repeatedly.

"Elena Gilbert, this is Agent Barrow from the FBI, open the door!" She hollered.

There was no response at first, which irritated the agent. She turned to give Klaus a look and he returned with a nod. He did not expect them to succumb so easily.

"This is the FBI, open up!"

Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Oh for god sake, just break open the door!"

With that said, the door opened rather quickly, revealing an annoyed Damon Salvatore. He folded both arms across his chest, foot tapping as his pair of bright blue eyes fell on Barrow.

"You again?" He sighed.

"Trust me when I say that I wouldn't be here if I had it my way." Barrow returned coolly.

Then his eyes reverted to the man behind her. A crooked, amused grin appeared on Damon's face when he fell in eye contact with Klaus.

"Ah, I see that you have brought Klaus to take us by force. Very wise, Agent Blondie." He said mockingly.

Barrow's fists tightened at his mockery, teeth clenched. She pushed past Damon and stormed her way into the house. Alike Klaus's mansion, the house is huge and designed Victorian style. She is curious as to how she has coincidentally came across two luxurious homes while in this strange town.

"Elena Gilbert, FBI! I would like to ask you a few questions!" Sydney shouted, praying that Elena will finally show herself.

Meanwhile, near the front door, Klaus entered the home smugly as the raven-haired man stared after.

"What do you want, Klaus?"

"Same as her, justice!"

"Oh please." Damon scoffed in disbelief.

Elena Gilbert appeared from the living room, both hands up in the air defensively. The blonde agent beckoned for the girl to come closer to her and she did. Barrow took the time to examine the girl. She has long, silky dark brown hair with a streak of pink. It is no wonder that the Salvatore brothers both love her; she is quite the stunner.

Pushing her observations aside, Barrow got down to business.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just arrest you right now, Elena Gilbert?" Barrow pulled out a pair of her handcuffs from her belt loop, holding it up in the air for everyone to see.

She can hear Damon and Klaus appear behind her, the former scoffing at the agent's actions.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Elena Gilbert, you have lied to authorities about how your house burned. You lied to my operatives, you know, the ones who dropped by two days ago?" Barrow said confidently.

Elena sighed loudly, glancing at Damon for support. She looks like she wants to disappear right now, and it makes sense that she does. _Guilty people always look like this,_ Barrow thought to herself.

"Agent uh…"

"Barrow."

"Agent Barrow, I did not kill Kol Mikaelson if that is what you are thinking." Elena said, dropping both hands to her sides.

Barrow rolled her eyes at the suspect, gesturing for her to turn around. When she stood her ground, the agent stormed to Elena and forcefully snatched her hands. She started handcuffing her but is interrupted by a strong grip on her shoulder.

"You take her out of this house handcuffed, I will…" Damon threatened.

Klaus stepped up behind Damon and shoved him away from the agent. She stared in shock as the raven haired man flew across the living room. His body collided against a large painting on the wall, both dropping to the floor. She did not know that Klaus had the strength to toss a man in such a distance.

"Keep your hands off of her; you threaten her again and I'll end you." Klaus gritted through his teeth, taking steps toward Damon's fallen figure.

Elena turned toward the two men in the living room helplessly, shaking herself away from the agent's grip.

"Agent Barrow, stop him! Don't let him hurt Damon!" She pleaded.

Barrow, for once, is too shocked to put her finger on what is going on. She feels out of control about the situation here and she does not like it at all. Her panicked thoughts are interrupted by Damon's laughter from across the room.

Elena's composure tightened as well as the tension between both Damon and Klaus. Barrow regained her control within herself, snatching Elena's handcuffed hands and pushing her inside the living room.

"Go sit on the couch." Barrow whispered to the girl.

Elena nodded and did as she was told. When she sat down, Barrow slowly approached Klaus, whose back is turned against her. She placed an arm on his shoulder softly, prompting for him to turn to her. He looked at her questionably while she signaled for him to back down.

"Klaus, leave the threatening to me. I can take it from here." She said in alarm.

She feared that Klaus would snap, because after what she had experienced, she sees that he is a ticking time bomb. His aggressive nature has been revealed to her and she is weary to tug at the wrong strings.

"No."

"Klaus." She stared him down sternly.

Klaus did not back down, he never backs down to her intimidation. She does not scare him one single bit.

"Change of plans," Klaus's hardened demeanor transitioned into a victorious grin, "Elena Gilbert, you tell Agent Barrow exactly what has happened in that house of yours February 1st of last year or I'll finish your boyfriend off for good."

Barrow's grip on his shoulder tightened as she glanced at him in disbelief. A gasp can be heard from the teenage girl's lips.

Sydney is suddenly frightened for Damon and for Elena. She does not fear for herself, because Klaus would never be able to intimidate her. Never, in her life, has she had a consultant who would be willing to physically threaten suspects into spilling their secrets. Klaus is not only doing that; he is threatening to end someone's life. It is against everything Barrow has worked for, against the moral codes of mankind, against the laws set by the government, and against order.

"You won't…" Elena's shaky voice appeared first, "she won't let you."

Elena is trying to sound strong, but Barrow can easily identify the fear in her voice.

"Yeah, damn right, I won't!" Barrow said with attitude.

Klaus's lips broke out into a grin, clearly amused by the two ladies.

"Elena, you know she won't stop me if I wanted to hurt him," Klaus said arrogantly, "she _can't_ stop me."

"I know." Elena replied dryly.

Barrow opened her mouth in protest, clearly offended.

"Yes I _can_!"

Klaus wrapped his arm around Damon's neck and pulled him up against the wall. The victim didn't even bother to struggle; he just kept his glare on his attacker. It confused Sydney, the sight of Klaus being all mighty in his actions and Damon not doing a damn thing about it.

"Speak now, Gilbert! Or forever hold your broken hea…"

"Klaus, _don't_" Barrow interrupted, tightening her grip on the glock in her belt buckle.

Elena continued to hyperventilate as she watched her _friend_ remain stiff in the chokehold.

"Okay, I'll tell you everything!" She bellowed.

Klaus grinned in response and Sydney removed her contact with the gun.

"Very well then, please proceed."

"I didn't kill Kol. The body was not in my house when I left it. Someone else had been in my house, and someone else had started the fire. I returned home and my house was ashes!"

Barrow shook her head at the girl doubtfully. It is easy for someone to concoct a story, but then Damon's life is put at risk. She cannot afford to lie.

"Ms. Gilbert, if someone else had started the fire, why didn't you tell the police? Why lie?" Barrow asked.

Elena got up from the sofa and tugged at her handcuffs defiantly. She did not like the position she is put in.

"They threatened me."

"Who threatened you?"

"They have Jeremy, they threatened to kill him if I told anyone."

Barrow left Klaus's side and started confronting the teenage girl. She is nearly in tears, which reflected her sincerity. It also explains the mysterious situation revolving around the Gilbert boy. She sat down next to Elena, resting both elbows on her lap as she leaned closer.

"Do you know threatened you?"

"I-I- know that the person who threatened me is not the same person who burned my house and killed Kol."

"_Who_ delivered the message, Ms. Gilbert!"

"I-I—"

"Please, we can help you."

"They can't know I told you…" Elena breathed out.

"I promise they won't know." Barrow whispered.

Elena eyed Damon for a mere second before looking back down on her lap.

"Caroline Forbes."

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Barrow angrily asked as soon as they got inside her rental car.

The British man is still grinning ear to ear when she pulled away from Salvatore's property. The angry woman took a sharp turn purposely, hoping to piss him off. Unfortunately, her efforts are wasted; Klaus laughed at her attempt.

"What the hell was _what_?" He is still laughing.

"That shit you just pulled, it was _not_ okay!"

Barrow groaned loudly when she had to stop behind a car at the red light. She took the opportunity to glare at the man in the passenger seat. He screwed her professionalism and threw it right out the window. Besides, it is against the law to physically intimidate suspects or witnesses for evidence.

"Look, we got the information that we needed, what's so wrong about that?" Klaus asked defensively.

The blonde rolled her eyes before returning her attention to the road.

"There is nothing right about that! You broke like ten different laws in there; I can write you up for assault right now if I wanted!"

"What can I say? The end justifies the means."

"No, Klaus, _I_ justify the means!"

Klaus chuckled at her and turned to look out the window on his right. The trees brushed past him quicker and quicker as the driver increased the speed on the gas pedal. He should know better than to piss a woman off when she is behind the wheels.

However, he liked this FBI agent well enough—a lot more than he expected, actually. The fact that she is too uptight and too driven to get to the bottom of the case annoyed him occasionally, but he likes having her around. She is doing his brother justice, and at the same time, she is providing him daily amusement. It does help that she is quite easy on the eye.

Somehow, she makes him feel safer in this town, even though it sounds really absurd in his mind. He turned to her, allowing his expression to soften just a bit.

"Sydney?"

Barrow tried to suppress her annoyance when her first name left his lips.

"What?"

"Did I scare you back there?"

She pondered over that question. It is such a broad question; she isn't even sure how she should reply. The question can mean different things in connection to how she felt at that precise moment. Sydney did fear Klaus and maybe fear for her job and reputation because she allowed civilians to be threatened under her watch. She could have been scared for so many reasons, but she isn't sure which one he is looking for.

Sydney Barrow does not scare easily. She cannot give him the satisfaction of knowing that he did have that effect on her.

"I was scared for Damon, despite the fact that he's a complete ass." Barrow said instead.

"I'm sorry if I did scare you."

"You don't scare me, Klaus. Just don't do that again."

"You know I will." He returned.

"I can always kick you off this case…"

"And yet I'm still here."

Sydney turned into the road of the Mikaelson mansion, taking the passenger by surprise. He tilted his head in confusion as to why they are returning to his home.

"Anyways, before I get my guys to run a background check, what do you know about this Caroline Forbes, aside from the fact that she is the sheriff's daughter?" Barrow quickly changed the subject as she parked in front of the mansion.

Klaus unbuckled his seatbelt and shot the agent a look of contemplation.

"Long and wavy blonde hair, mesmerizing blue eyes, around five foot seven, and kind of a bitch to me… sound like anyone we know?" He shot her a teasing look to let her know whom he is referring to.

Barrow shot him a fake smile, sarcastic to the core.

"Very funny, Klaus." She got out of the car.

Klaus followed suit, catching up to her as they approached his mansion. He turned to look at her.

"I quite fancied her for a while…"

Barrow smirked at him.

"Leave it to you to hit on an accessory to murder."

"Pushing aside the fact that you have the utmost faith in me regarding my choice in women, why are we here?" Klaus asked while he unlocked the door.

The two walked inside the Victorian mansion, and this time, Barrow tried her best to study the features. Last time, she only had one mission and it was to extract information from Klaus. Now, she needs to observe this environment because Kol has lived here for well over a year.

"I have invited myself into your home because I need to see Kol's room. I could get a warrant but that would require paperwork, and one thing us law enforcers really hate is paperwork." Barrow threw her head backwards as she said this.

Klaus chuckled and gestured toward the spiral staircase on their right side. She did not hesitate to climb up the stairs.

* * *

**A/N: YEAH! Can I get a heck yeah for Klaus showing a bit of his true colors? If you are confused at everything, then I am doing my job right! So where do you guys think this is going?**

**Why do you think Sydney is so obsessed with solving this case?**

**Next chapter you will find out why! Meanwhile, make your guesses! it might not be the reason you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

_Sydney opened her eyes from her slumber to see that the handsome man beside her is already awake. She turned to his side of the bed and grinned at him. He is staring back at her with a similar smile on his face._

"Morning, Syd." He said softly.

"Kol." She smiled.

Kol turned away from the woman and reached for something on top of the nightstand. He picked up a small purple box, grinning at the item in his hands as he returned to look at the woman in the bed.

"Come here, darling, I have something for you." He mumbled quietly, which startled her.

He ran his free hand through his chestnut brown locks, pushing the bangs out of his face. From the weary eyes to his hesitant gaped mouth, Sydney can certainly tell that he is nervous to give something to her. She, for one, is surprised at his delicacy towards her. Kol is never one to show vulnerability to anyone, herself included.

Sydney got up from the bed and quickly tied her messy blonde hair into a loose bun with the rubber band around her wrist. Her eyes dilated in curiosity as she shifted closer to the man beside her. Kol gave her a curt nod, opening the purple box to reveal a stone necklace.

The pendant is a circle, relatively large, and dark green. It is beautiful, extremely satisfying to look at. To her, the gesture is already nice enough, but to see something so glorious with the knowledge that it will be in her possession is something else. It is something different.

"Say something, love, you're frightening me."

Sydney looked up from the necklace and shot him a small, genuine smile.

"It's beautiful."

Kol held the necklace up at her.

"May I?"

She made a sound of affirmative, turning to the other side with her neck completely exposed to him. In a matter of seconds, the purple pendant is below her neckline. She shivered at the cold stone against her bare skin and placed her hand above it. Her thumb brushed through the green stone.

A pair of lips landed on her bare shoulders all of a sudden, prompting for the blonde to laugh quietly. She leaned back slightly as his lips slowly trailed up to her neck. A soft moan left her lips when he touched a particular part of her skin, encouraging one of his arms to snake around her waist.

"Can I ask you a question?" Sydney asked.

"Hmm?"

His lips are now behind her ear, nearing the earlobe.

"Was this item acquired legally?"

Kol's lips suddenly left her skin completely, quickly followed by a chuckle. His body shook against her humorously and she turned to look at him with a playful smile on her face. Returning the smile, he reached for a fallen piece of hair from the messy bun and pushed it back behind her ear.

"Careful, Sydney Barrow, the white collar agent in you is showing."

Sydney laughed along with him as a response.

"And yes, I actually bought the emerald necklace."

"Emerald?" She asked, clearly shocked at the revelation.

Kol beamed at her, followed by his usual smirk that she knew all too well. The smugness of his expression remained there for a while before it disappeared quickly into a more serious look. The skin above his eyebrows creased slightly as if he is worried about something.

"Syd?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise me something."

"Yes, anything!"

The brunette sighed, giving her a few slow nods before placing both hands on either side of her shoulder. He shot her a look of warning, which frightened her a bit. Kol is usually the one to amuse her in order to help her balance out her serious job, but this time, he is worried about something.

"Promise me you will never take off this necklace. I do not care if you wish for a bath or if the stone grows to be a burden for you; you keep this on at all times, do you hear me?" Kol said sternly.

Frightened by his expression, Sydney nodded wordlessly.

"No, darling, I want to hear you say it. You promise me that you never take this necklace off. Say it." Kol hissed, dark brown eyes staring into her intently.

Her azure blue eyes bore into his for a few moments as if trying to decode him. She is really good at reading people since it is her job to do so, but it is very hard to figure out what is going through his mind. It is usually hard for her to put her finger on his thoughts, and that is what she enjoyed about him. He is a mystery to her all the time.

"Syd…"

"I promise to keep this on forever, until the end of time." She finally said.

Kol gave her a small nod, his signature smirk suddenly reemerging on his features. Sometimes it scares her how quickly Kol can change his moods. He is quite erratic, just like a ticking time bomb. One second he can be laughing carelessly and reverting it to anger the next.

"Good."

* * *

"What do you hope to find in Kol's old room?" Klaus asked while they made their way up the spiral staircase.

"Anything, remnants of him, hints of what he has been up to this whole year." Barrow replied.

"Well, didn't you ask his girlfriend in New York?"

Barrow stopped abruptly, resulting in Klaus almost running into her. Her entire body did a whole 180 shift on the step to face him.

"Girlfriend?"

"I thought you were the FBI Agent? Didn't you speak to her? Isn't that how you knew he was here until January 30th?" Klaus started to feel the suspicions kick in again.

The fact that Barrow didn't know any of the details makes him question her intentions here.

"I spoke to his friends; there was no girlfriend." Barrow struggled to keep it together.

"I am assuming that they were never official, but it has dawned upon me that my brother was in love with this woman."

Sydney turned from Klaus and continued walking up the steps. She felt herself shake, all confidence has left her body. Her strides are no longer as big as they used to be, now smaller and timid.

"He even left her this password locked journal that apparently only she knows how to open. All the important information is in there."

Klaus led the federal agent inside Kol's room and went straight for one of the desks. Barrow observed the room carefully, smiling to herself as she gazed upon the bedpost. Everything in this room reminds her of Kol and remnants of him. _I miss him_, she sighed.

She saw something stick out from the bed so she bent down to give it a look. Her eyes widened when she found a large black duffel bag. When she pulled the bag out, she is surprised to find that it is filled with wooden blocks, molded into objects that look like stakes.

"Shit." She mumbled to herself.

Klaus is in front of her in a matter of seconds. His eyes widened when they fell on the wooden stakes inside the bag.

"This is the murder weapon." Klaus confirmed.

Barrow only nodded, still in daze.

"Why the hell does he have them?"

Klaus did not say anything; he picked up one of the stakes from its bag and examined it carefully. With his lips pursed, he turned it to its side to give it further observation.

"I am bringing these back for Stacy to take a look at. Then we find out where the hell these came from."

He cleared his throat to interrupt her.

"What, Klaus?"

"You see this thing right here?" Klaus held up a metallic box.

Barrow narrowed her eyes as she leaned in for a closer look at the object. The passcode in the front is a four-digit lock, apparently the only way this box can be unlocked. When she turned to view the side of the box, she noticed that it is not a box but a journal. It is the diary that Klaus was talking about.

She reached over to get her hands on it, but Klaus pulled it away quickly.

"Ahh uh, that's not how this works."

"Klaus." She said sternly.

"I don't just hand you things."

"Klaus, I am a federal agent, so yeah, that's how this shit works." She held out her hand as another attempt.

The defiant man continued to deny her right to the journal.

"There are two things that I want from you, so I am going to let you choose which one you want to give me in exchange for this journal."

Barrow rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. Once again, she let Klaus put himself in a position where he is in control. It is very unfortunate; Klaus was the one who snuggled himself against this case and persistently asked to be involved in it. _But he didn't beg you, he didn't put you in a position of control_, Barrow thought doubtfully to herself.

"Let's hear it then, Mikaelson!"

Grinning, Klaus gestured toward the bag of wooden stakes in her hand.

"Either the entire bag of stakes, every last one of them, or a particular kind of information that I want from you, and only the truth."

Barrow started thinking about how much she needed to get her hands on the journal. It is less for legal reason but more for her personal vendetta. She wants to know about this woman that Kol fell in love with, and she wants to know what was going on in his life before his death.

"What do you want to know, Klaus?" She let out a sigh in defeat.

"I want to know how you are connected to Kol. I'm not taking that rubbish about your fondness to unsolvable cases. Why are you here? Why do you care about my brother?"

The question that she tried to avoid having to answer has risen up from the dead once again. She needs to find a way around this; Klaus is controlling her in this situation and she is the FBI Agent here.

"Or I can arrest you for withholding evidence in a murder investigation and snatch the journal from your hand anyways?" Barrow chirped in, pretending to be deep in thoughts.

Klaus laughed.

"Well played, Agent Barrow, but I expected you to say just that."

"And how in the world are you going to talk yourself out of this one, Mikaelson? Your wits can't get you out this time." She fired back.

_She underestimates me_, Klaus grinned proudly.

"I can go to the bureau and tell them that you do not have concrete evidence or proof that Kol is dead. You think I haven't noticed? You jumped headfirst into this case, and literally went in blind. I provided you every single piece of the evidence; I gave you the only proof that Kol is dead. How screwed do you think you will be on a scale of 1 to 10 if I reported you to the bureau?"

Barrow opened her mouth in protest, but he is right. He is the only one brave enough to bring it up; he is the only person outside of her team that noticed the flaw in her investigation.

"I did not ask a cruel question."

"What you ask of me is cruel, Klaus."

"Poppycock! I was merciful! I could've asked you how you knew my brother was dead."

_I am so screwed_, Barrow sighed in defeat once again. This man is so cunning and she does not give him enough credit. Intimidating and manipulative, this guy is the perfect ingredient for her to get this case solved.

She has to make a decision; the easiest way out would be to just give him the bag of wooden stakes. If she were selfish like she wishes to be, she would've given them to him in a heartbeat. But, it is important that the murder weapon is used to track down the killer. There are three objects in the talks right now; both the journal and the stakes are significant evidences. Her connection to Kol is just personal.

The decision is made, even though it isn't done easily. She has no other choice.

Before answering Klaus, she held in a very deep breath before letting them out slowly and shamefully.

"Kol was my C.I."

* * *

**A/N: BAM! Did anyone expect that? I wanted to put the posting off but the return of the Originals got me so motivated that I HAD to post it! Anyways, who is confused about the whole Kol/Barrow thing? Because you definitely should be confused!**

Were they lovers? Or were their relationship strictly professional?

By the way C.I. = criminal informant. They are criminals who make a deal with authority and provide them with their expertise in helping them catch other criminals in their field. That's what they are.

Yeah, it makes this whole Kol thing complicated... you'll have to wait and see what happens!


	7. Chapter 7

"Caroline Forbes." Agent Des Rollins pulled up the name of the said girl on the FBI database.

Three days ago, Elena Gilbert revealed to Agent Barrow that Caroline Forbes, her supposed best friend, threatened her brother. Someone associated with Caroline Forbes kidnapped Jeremy Gilbert and forced Elena to keep the actual story of her burned house a secret. Barrow believes the story to be absurd since they did not find any concrete evidence to back up her claim. The fact that Elena begged her not to confront Caroline on the issue did not help all too much either.

Ever since the revelation, the agents had been hard at work to unveil the secret in a discrete matter. They found general information; Sheriff Forbes's daughter, ex-girlfriend of Mayor Lockwood's son, Whittemore College freshmen, blonde, blue eyes, five-foot-four…

They did not find anything suspicious about this Caroline Forbes. At this point, Barrow is extremely frustrated. The longer they dance around this lead, the longer it will take to solve Kol's murder. Whoever killed him will have more time to completely extinguish the evidence.

"No wonder Sheriff Forbes was so damn unhelpful." Agent Chandler muttered under her breath.

"Yeah, she knows her daughter is an apprentice." Ross added.

Klaus Mikaelson is still trying to come in terms with the fact that Caroline, sweet Caroline, has something to do with this mess. He has no idea how she got caught up in it. The endless scenarios are running through his head as he currently remains in his seat on the queen-sized bed.

Caroline is the last person he imagined to be part of his brother's death. She has this alluring light to her like no other; there is no way she can take part in something so sinister like this. Klaus did not believe Elena; she is pointing a finger at Caroline to throw the feds off.

While he is plotting with his own mind, Agent Barrow got up from her seat on the comfortable chair by the bed. She shot her consultant a brief look and approached her agents when she realized that Klaus has nothing useful to say as of now. Everyone is just as stumped as she is, and it is pissing her off.

"Stacy." She said sternly.

The medical examiner looked up from her work and at the head of the FBI team.

"What did you find out about the white oak stake?"

Just two days ago, Stacy got ahold of the murder weapon bag from Barrow and immediately dived right into identifying the objects. After a few hours of research and experiments, she figured out that it is the murder weapon. She also identified the weapon as wood from a very old tree called white oak. The white oak trees are extinct according to research.

"Aside from all that nonsense about vampires?" There is a ghost of a smile on Stacy's face as she mentioned the stupid mythology.

Klaus snapped out of his thoughts for just a brief moment and gave the M.E. a meaningful look. With the boredom of the prolonging silence, he decided to resume to his thoughts.

"Yeah."

"Absolutely nothing!" Stacy dropped both hands to her sides.

Sighing in frustration, her impatient blue eyes scanned over to her other agents. Des held up a stack of paper when he noticed the bitter mood of his boss.

"What is that, Des?"

"I accidentally found something in the fire reports."

"Oh yeah? Please tell me this is going to make me a happy woman."

The techy agent grinned widely, giving her a few slow nods before handing the stack to her. She glanced at it and noticed the yellow colored highlighter hover over a particular part of the text. Her teeth clenched and a groan left her lips. She dropped the stack of paper on the ground in frustration, too pissed off to read the rest of the pile.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." She growled.

"What's wrong, boss? I found the origin of the family who planted the trees and the location it was burned just a year ago." Des is confused.

He found a significant lead for the team to follow on and his leader is not happy at all.

"The motherfucking Salvatore's again?"

Klaus's head shot up at the mention of the name. He raised an eyebrow and continued to observe the conversation happening in front of him.

"I can talk to them." Satine offered.

"God damn! Screw Elena Gilbert, I'm going to talk to Caroline Forbes right now and force a confession out of her. I am not going to follow on some lead about a stupid tree when I can break Forbes and find Kol's killer myself!" Barrow snapped, making dramatic hand gestures for emphasis.

It is Ross's turn to shoot up in his position on the chair. He got up and walked over to his boss. Shaking his head at her in disapproval, he pointed his forefinger at her.

"We are _not_ letting Elena Gilbert hang out to dry!"

"Who gives a shit about Elena Gilbert? I _need_ to find the bastard who killed my criminal informant!" Barrow returned with fervor.

Ross's nose flared at her words. They are FBI Agents; they do not expose their witnesses. It is their job to protect the civilians.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Barrow?"

Everyone is shaken up by Ross's outburst; no one questions, let alone, scolds Sydney Barrow, their boss. There is serious tension going on between these two federal agents. The blonde agent took a few steps back, shooting him a glare as if she dared him to press onto this matter further.

"I should've said something the second we found out about Jeremy Gilbert's capture. We should've pulled up leads to find him the second we knew! Instead, we've spent three days here finding the killer of a _dead_ man when a seventeen year old boy, very much _alive_, is still out there with his captor!" He dropped his fist against his thigh.

Barrow rolled her eyes, placing both hands over her head. She groaned loudly into her hand before dropping them both dramatically.

"I do _not_ give a damn about Jeremy Gilbert. Someone killed my C.I., my_friend_, and I want to know who is responsible, do you understand me, Bartholomew Ross?" Barrow spat out at her operative, walking closer to him in a fit of anger.

"Sydney, are you hearing yourself right now? You are a damn FBI Agent, shouldn't your first priority be saving lives?"

"I am a homicide agent, it is not my job to find a missing person. It sure as hell shouldn't be yours either. We are here for only one purpose, and it is to find my C.I.'s killer."

Klaus has never seen the blonde agent so angry before in his first week of knowing her. She is tough, more than capable of taking care of herself on many occasions. She uses her anger and her tools of manipulation to extract information from witnesses. But never has he ever seen her so driven and determined to get to the bottom of this case. She is ditching her morals to close this case, using her fury to push all distracting factors out of the equation.

The silence in the hotel room lasted for only a few minutes before Barrow spoke up again.

"You know what? If you want to save the Gilbert boy, go right ahead. But it is _not_ my priority right now." She pointed at the floor as she snarled at Ross in her speech, "I'm going to do what I do best, solving murders."

Before anyone can say anything else, she turned from her operative in one swift motion and stomped her way out the door, and not without slamming the door with excessive force.

The departure of Agent Barrow left the federal agents shaken up. Klaus observed the FBI team from the corner of his eyes and noticed that the tension is real. No one dared to move or say a word; pissing off their lead agent is not the healthiest way to get through a case.

He, however, decided to take this opportunity and get the information that he needed.

"So, why is she so obsessed about this case?" Klaus asked casually.

Satine sighed in relief when the British man decided to break the tension. She looked over at him and started to reply.

"Kol was her C.I. for two years when she just started off at the white collar division."

Des nodded along with his fellow operative.

"Barrow just left Quantico, pursued her dream of being an FBI, moved to New York. The head of her division has been going after Kol for falsifying and forging ownership certificates for a specific collection of art." He explained.

Klaus's eyebrows shot up in interest. Art is his forte and he did not remember his brother showing an immense interest to it.

"Which collection?"

"He was looking to illegitimately own seven specific art pieces that the Nazi looted from Russia during World War II." Satine replied.

The blonde man pursed his lips in curiosity. What did Kol want with stolen art?

"Anyways, it was Barrow's first case and she was the one to crack this case wide open. She awed everyone in the white collar division and caught Kol when no one could for five months." Des continued.

"Yeah, and right when Kol was arrested, he tried to make a deal with the FBI. He offered to work as a confidential informant for his two-year sentence. But the thing is, he said he would only back up his deal if he were the C.I. for Barrow. She was the one who caught him and the only one worthy enough to have him." Agent Chandler said.

Des and Satine grinned at each other as they retold the story. They both started off in the white-collar division as well, having been there before Barrow. When Barrow was there, she rose through the ranks and befriended the two on her way there. They more than willingly followed her to the homicide division when she was promoted by Taylor.

"The FBI sensed his respect for Barrow, and so they agreed because Barrow did. She worked really well with your brother, Klaus. They respected each other on a professional level and solved so many cases together. His knowledge and expertise and her deducting skills resulted in the increase of the division's closing rate. Maybe it explains why she is so keen to work with you, Klaus." Satine looked at the Brit meaningfully.

Klaus nodded slowly.

"She thinks I'm my brother, but she is mistaken." He said woefully, "However, I sense that Kol and Barrow might be something more than a professional duo?"

"What are you saying, Mikaelson?" Des asked.

"They were lovers, am I wrong?"

"You _are_ wrong. Kol was detached from vulnerable emotions, almost like a pathological killer but without the killing part. Agent Barrow, on the other hand, is too rough around the edge."

"Then explain to me why she is more effected by his death than I am." Klaus tested.

Ross cleared his throat, making his presence known for the first time since Barrow left the room.

"She feels responsible for his death. Even after Kol was released from his sentence, Barrow still kept a close eye on him. He would occasionally help her on our cases in homicide; they were friends but strictly professional. She thinks she should have watched out for him, or even stop him from going to Mystic Falls."

"And if she did, then he would still be alive." Klaus finished in realization.

"Yeah, no romantic feelings there."

"Speaking of romance, did you hefty feds take a look at the journal my brother left for his lover?"

The blank faces on the federal agents answered his question. An uneasy crease appeared on Klaus's face as something important has dawned upon him. Something in his mind clicked and he is instantly out the door and in front of Sydney Barrow's hotel room.

After using his art of persuasion to get the maid to open the door, he waltzed inside and stared in disbelief at the object on her queen-sized bed.

The journal is sprawled out in the midst of her folded sheets, unlocked and opened.

"Bloody, bloody Barrow!" 

* * *

Barrow approached the clearing and bent down to touch the remnants of where the white oak tree might have been. Her fingers brushed against the rough surface, holding it out in front of her face to examine the dust.

The trees were burned to bury the evidence of the origins of the murder weapon.

"What are you doing here?" A chill voice asked from behind her.

Snatching her glock from her belt, she turned to the direction of the voice on instinct. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of another woman staring back at her with a similar expression.

"FBI, I should be asking you the same question." Sydney said coldly.

_Do not trust them_, she imagined the words in Kol's voice. _Trust none of these people_.

"May I ask why your gun is pointed in my face, _agent_?"

The dark skinned woman is definitely a looker, attractive hazel eyes, creamy dark hair stopping just below her shoulders, and she is standing tall at 5"9 in her three inch stiletto. Sydney made note to take advantage of her choice in shoes when it comes down to the action.

"Identify yourself." Barrow demanded.

"Asande Loretti, you shouldn't be here." She introduced but remarked maliciously.

Rolling her eyes, Barrow took several steps toward the woman in question. She shot her a menacing glare in hopes that it will be just effective enough to get her to leave this clearing. From the corner of her eyes, she can see a bridge and a body of water near the area. She needs to be aware of her surrounding for the worst case scenario.

"Do _not_ take another step, Sydney Barrow." Asande warned.

_Of course the bitch knows my name_, Sydney thought cynically. Despite the warning, she stepped closer to the woman. She thought she might just work her methods from her experiences and get her to leave. However, a throbbing pain suddenly shot up from her head. She let out a loud shriek in pain as her whole body crumbled to the grass floor. Her right hand released the glock and both her hands suddenly clutched against her head.

Sydney blinked several times and tried to let her mind work through the immense amount of pain. It feels like some type of unknown force is squeezing and pulling her brain at the same time. She has never felt this kind of pain in her entire life, and even during her career as a federal agent.

Barrow looked up at the woman and saw that she has an arrogant smirk plastered on her face. A scream escaped her lips as she felt another wave of pain hit her head. Her veins are beginning to crackle, frightening her to the core. Never in her life has she ever feared for her life. Now is the moment where things end.

She closed her eyes shut, bracing for the worse. A few moments and the pain is suddenly gone. She kept her eyes closed until a hand landed on her shoulder. She jumped, shooting up from her position on the ground. When she is steadily in her stance, she allowed herself to open her eyes.

A handsome guy, possibly around twenty, smiled at her in reassurance. She blinked at him and studied his generous features. He has messy light brown locks and a darker set of eyebrows to accompany it. There is something about him that brought her some sort of comfort.

As a way to divert her attention from the man, she checked their surroundings to see Asande's motionless corpse on the ground. Her eyes widened slightly as they shot daggers at her savior.

"You _killed_ her?" She hissed at him.

He is still relatively calm.

"Don't worry about her, she'll wake up in a few hours." His eyes pondered over something around her neck.

He smiled at the emerald pendant, a similar green to the shade of his hazel eyes.

"That's a beautiful necklace."

_You promise me that you never take this necklace off._

Sydney blinked at the man a few times, running a hand through her unleveled blonde hair.

"Thanks."

He held out a hand for her, a kind smile plastered on his face.

"I'm Stefan Salvatore."

* * *

**A/N: Anyone extremely confused yet? Yeah, that's exactly what I'm going for. But what do you guys think is in the journal?**

**Oh and is that Asande witch scary for you yet? it won't be the last you've seen of her, unfortunately. But yeah, the entrance of Stefan, what do you guys think?**


	8. Chapter 8

Agent Barrow lowered her gun when the figure that emerged behind her is revealed to be Klaus, her temporary informant. She rested her free arm on her waist impatiently. The forest clearing is quiet as it was last time she visited deeper into the area. Fortunately, Klaus appeared at a time where Barrow will not be vulnerable to anyone during her brief moment of surprise.

"Klaus, what are you doing here?" Barrow hissed at him as she zipped up her FBI jacket.

The informant smirked at the agent and approached her.

"I followed you here. Perhaps, we should grab a bite together at the _Mystic Grill_." He offered nonchalantly.

Rolling her eyes, she placed her gun back in the belt and nodded apprehensively at the man. Klaus grinned proudly and beckoned for her to follow him.

* * *

"So what were you doing in the forest?" Klaus asked as he took a bite out of his meaty sandwich.

Sydney took a long sip of her glass of water, blue eyes remaining on him as she did. It is beyond her expectations of Klaus, following her during her private investigation. He seems to be more meddlesome in the past week than he was the first week. She did not like it, but at the same time, she appreciated his curiosity.

"I wanted to do more research on the white oak tree."

"Why?"

Barrow placed the glass of water down on the table and pursed her lips at him. He is also asking a lot more questions than she is used to hearing from him.

"That weapon killed Kol, and whatever lead I get, you can bet your ass that I will chase that shit down like kingdom come." She said a bit too aggressively.

Klaus flashed a crooked smile, leaning back against his chair. He completely neglected his food at this point and started studying the blonde in front of him. As he watched her eat, he noticed the pure innocence and concentration in her eyes when she stares down at her plate. It is rare for him to see her do anything else other than chase down evidence. He has seen her eat several times, but she always talked intensively about the case while she did that.

This time, however, he admired her beauty. He appreciated it and acknowledged it. Her physical attributes remind him a bit of Caroline. Sydney and Caroline also share many different qualities. They possess the similar drive and firepower, the desire to display any means of individuality.

Sydney Barrow is a brave woman, not just acting tough as a barrier to protect herself. She displayed no fear in situations that could be life threatening, even if she is unaware of these situations. Caroline, on the other hand, is willing to fight for her loved ones despite her pure innocence. The innocent aspect of her is what deviates her from the FBI Agent across from him.

"You're staring." Barrow mumbled and swallowed her food.

Klaus laughed, snapping out of his own thoughts.

"Because you are eating, love."

She raised an eyebrow in confusion but then decided to ignore that comment. Pursing her lips again, she decided to speak up.

"What did you want with the white oak stakes?"

Klaus made a questionable hum at her in response.

"When I found the stakes in Kol's room, you wanted it. You struck a deal with me and asked for it. What do you want with it?" Barrow asked.

"Why does it matter?"

"It's questionable of why you want it."

"I personally think the stake has several artistic attributes to it. I appreciate beautiful objects, something worth being called a masterpiece." Klaus replied smoothly.

Sydney nodded.

"You are an art admirer."

She recalled the notable art pieces hung on the walls around his home. At first, she just thought that he wanted to display his wealth with Victorian décor, but now it all makes sense to her. Klaus appreciates art, which is something that reminds her of Kol.

"Indeed. I draw and paint as well." Klaus shared.

Barrow nodded slowly, picturing the backside of Kol Mikaelson when her white-collar unit closed in on him outside of the printing factory. He wore the dark denim jacket that he always liked to wear, and long dark pants to match. When he turned around, she had her glock pointed at his upper chest.

She remembered that precise moment when her blue eyes met with his chocolate brown ones. His eyes widened in fascination as her fellow agents cuffed him. After he was cuffed, she had her eyes on a duffel bag full of counterfeit bonds and art certificates.

"What are you thinking about?" Klaus pulled her out of her own thoughts.

Barrow placed a hand over her face and rubbed her eyes.

"I can't believe he is dead." She whispered, audible enough for him to hear.

"Ahh, I see. You were thinking about my dear brother."

Sydney turned from Klaus and waved at the waiter she met on her first day here. The young man walked over to them with the check in hand. As he placed it on the table, he shot Klaus a suspicious look.

"How is Caroline doing, Mr. Donovan?" He asked casually.

The waiter Barrow referred to as baby blue eyes rolled his eyes at the British man and simply walked away. His action forced the federal agent to chuckle.

"I suppose the lovely Miss. Forbes does not reciprocate your feelings for her." Barrow said teasingly.

Klaus shrugged lightly and returned his attention to her.

"So why are you so dedicated to finding my brother?" He changed the subject.

Barrow sighed loudly and dropped her hands on the table. No one in this world mattered to her more than Kol did, that is a given fact. He was literally the most important person in her life and she let him die. She couldn't prevent his death, despite all the power she thought she had.

"I couldn't protect him." She whispered.

He did not say anything, just allowed her to process her own deliberations. It is easier to study her while she explained to him.

"When we were in the field during our white-collar days, I would always cover him when I sent him in. I would never leave him unprotected because he was never allowed a weapon due to federal regulations. He knew he could always count on me to barge in any time if he needed me. He trusted me just as much as I trusted him. Our partnership worked so well because we learned to depend on each other."

Klaus took some cash from his front jean pocket and placed it on top of the check. While he did that, he listened intensively as she continued on.

"When he left for Mystic Falls, it was out of my hands. I was in New York so I couldn't have his back. I should've had his back." She sounded angry, most anger towards herself.

He studied her carefully, making sure he is able to figure her out.

"Klaus, I'm so sorry I couldn't protect your brother. He died because I didn't make sure he would be safe here. I didn't even think that anything could happen to him here."

Klaus got up from his chair and held out a hand for her. The blonde looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows, uncertainty coating her eyes. She looked as if she is going to burst into tears if she talked any longer.

"Come, let's call it a night. We'll start fresh tomorrow with new leads."

Nodding, Sydney got up as well and walked over to Klaus. Together, they left _Mystic Grill_.

* * *

Caroline Forbes shifted in her position on her bed and dropped her extended arm from her bedside lamp. Her head turned toward the direction of her bedroom door instinctively, gasping when she acknowledged Klaus Mikaelson's form leaning against the frame.

"Hello, Caroline." He grinned at her pleasantly.

She stared at him in awe.

"Klaus…"

"Now, I've been curious…" He trailed off as he walked toward her bed.

The blonde held a hand up to silence him.

"Okay, so before you point a finger at me and accuse me of killing your brother with the white oak stake, you and that cute FBI Agent have been cozying it up around town like you're Castle and Beckett or something…"

Klaus raised his eyebrow. This is the _second_ time he's heard about this Castle and Beckett reference.

"Anyways, Stefan heard Elena point me to that fed you've been snuggling with. I didn't and can't kill Kol with the white oak. You know I didn't do it, right?"

"Oh Caroline, Caroline, Caroline…"

"Klaus, do you believe me?"

He sat down on her bed and watched in shock as she proceeded to unbutton her pajama top. She has never responded to his advances, and never even made any of her own. It is a wonder to him that she is trying now.

"You know, I'll never hurt you, right?" Klaus started.

Caroline tossed her top on the other side of the bed and beckoned for him to come closer. He resisted, remaining still in his position no matter how tempted he felt at this precise moment.

"Mmm…"

"Who sent you to threaten Elena?" He whispered when she made initiative to lean toward him.

In a blur, Klaus's back is already pressed against the mattress with the blonde right above him. Her lips are already on his, moving in speed with aggression and fervor. While he is confused as to what she is hiding from him, he decided to enjoy the moment while it lasted. His hands moved its way to her backside, running it down her lower waist and then to her thighs.

She moaned quietly against his lips, grinding her hips against his body. He got so distracted with her actions that he nearly forgot about his initial goals here. Shaking his lust off, he aggressively pinned Caroline down on the bed, intensive eyes beaming down on her.

A pair of big blue eyes blinked back at him innocently.

"Caroline…" He warned.

Caroline noticed the look on his face. He is not going to leave without getting an honest answer from her; she knows him well enough to know that she has to give him what he wants.

"Who made you blackmail Elena Gilbert? Who took Jeremy?"

The blonde opened her mouth, shaking her head ferociously.

"Don't be afraid, love."

She hesitated but slowly opened her mouth.

"It was the FBI Agent."

Taken aback by her answer, Klaus removed himself from his position above her and rolled off of the bed. He repositioned himself and readjusted his shirt as he eyed her for an elaboration.

Caroline gulped.

"It was that blonde agent you like so much. Special Agent Sydney Barrow sent me to deliver the message."

* * *

**A/N: So do you believe Caroline? Can you actually trust Barrow? Something fishy is obviously going on here...**

**I thought maybe I'd hold off until Friday to post this but then i saw the new episode of the Originals, and I just told myself to post it. I thought of Klaus and realized this story NEEDS to be updated.**

**Anyways, leave those comments! I'd really appreciate them!**


	9. Chapter 9

_Barrow emerged from the shadows with the wooden material clutched tightly by her right hand. Her icy blue eyes narrowed as she pointed the sharp edge of her weapon at the girl in front of her. She took a few moments to study her features; they share some physical attributes._

"What do you want?" Caroline Forbes stared up at the federal agent.

A permanent scowl is all the teenager got in response. Barrow pressed the wooden weapon closer to her heart, brows furrowed in concentration. Caroline started fearing for her life at this point; she has a physical advantage over Barrow but she is unable to move. The older blonde proved to be wiser to use a stun gun to temporarily paralyze her.

Caroline cannot move and use all her strength to fight this woman. She is at Barrow's mercy.

"Do you know how Jeremy Gilbert is doing?" Sydney asked, eyes blaring at her in concentration.

The younger woman blinked at her several times, wanting more than anything to throw Sydney across the room.

"I do not know. He has gone missing since last week."

Sydney returned with a solemn nod.

"I am going to tell you why he is missing. I took him and it is my god damn job to tell you that."

Caroline's face changed slightly, contorted in fear and distress.

"What do you want with Jeremy?"

"I don't want anything from Jeremy Gilbert. I just want you do to something for me." Barrow responded intensely.

Her cold blue eyes are still staring narrowly into Caroline's identical ones.

"Let me start off by telling you that I am a federal agent. I have resources beyond what you can imagine. I also know that your mother is the sheriff of this town. It would be a crying shame if something happened to her…"

The younger woman looks mortified.

"Yes I get it, you will hurt my mother if I do not do as you ask." She said with a bit of an attitude in retaliation.

The federal agent nodded, accompanied by a sound of affirmative.

"There is going to be a fire that will demolish the Gilbert household. Elena is going to know that if she doesn't take the blame for burning down her house, Jeremy isn't going to live."

"Wait, you are going to burn down Elena's house? What is wrong with you?"

Barrow blinked at Caroline several times, as if she is suddenly in a temporary trance. It took her several seconds for her to snap out of it. She stared at Caroline stoically.

"I don't know."

"So what do you want me to do?" Caroline asked.

"One second…"

Sydney used her free hand to extract the stun gun from her belt loop and pointed it at the teen's lower stomach. Staring into at Caroline intently, she pulled the trigger. The recipient of the offense shrieked at the force and remains motionless.

"You are going to threaten Elena. It is your doing; you are the one who is blackmailing her, not me."

"You are sick, you know that?"

"If you rat me out to Elena or anyone, I will know. I have resources beyond your imagination, Caroline Forbes." Barrow spoke in a monotone.

Caroline glared in response.

"All you have to do is your god damn job and you will live." 

* * *

"Someone got laid last night…" Sydney winked suggestively when Klaus approached her by the parked car.

Klaus grinned at the federal agent widely, wiggling his eyebrows. He placed a hand on the hood of her rental car and stared at her expectantly.

"And how might a seasoned FBI agent like yourself figure that out?" He said lightly.

"Well, I am a fed, so it is my god damn job to study people. That shit eating smile on your face and the way your whole body moves gives everything away. Your movements are light, someone you really like has agreed to have sex with you… Oh dear god. Now I'm imagining you having sex." Barrow placed a hand in front of her face.

Klaus pursed his lips and studied the blonde carefully. She is dressed warmly in her FBI jacket, dark dress pants, and brown combat boots. Her extremely wavy blonde hair is put down as usual, but this time, he noticed several small braids on the right side of her head. She made an effort to look presentable before starting the day.

"I reckon you like what you are imagining?" He said smugly.

Barrow, to his slight dismay, did not receive the comment. She bit her lips, looking to be distracted with her own thoughts. He can just see the wheels turning in her head. Abruptly, her eyes and mouth widened.

"Oh Klaus, please do _not_ tell me you slept with Caroline Forbes last night right after you dropped me back to the hotel…"

Klaus stared at her suspiciously. Sydney Barrow may be trained to study people very well, but she seems to know everything down to the specific details. She is not using her deducting skills to figure him out; she has been following him. Something is not right about Sydney Barrow.

"I didn't shag her…" He murmured as his gaze hardened on her.

Barrow raised an eyebrow in confusion, tilting her head slightly to the side. She looks beyond puzzled at why Klaus is getting defensive at this point.

"Geez, what is with you and this Caroline girl? And besides, Klaus, what are you doing with her? She is a suspect!"

He did not say anything, hardened gaze slowly shifting into a bitter glare. She thinks that he is easily fooled, but she has never been more wrong.

"Wow, Klaus, I thought you were classier than that." She teased, turning from him.

She started walking toward the parking lot when a hand gripped onto her upper right arm tightly. Rolling her eyes in anger and annoyance, she turned on instinct with her balled fist and proceeded to punch Klaus in the face. When she is turned to Klaus, his other free hand caught her fist right before it made contact with his face.

The pair glared at each other, both snarling at this point.

"What are you hiding, Sydney Barrow?" Klaus gritted through his teeth.

Barrow kicked the man in the shin, hoping to gain some sort of reaction out of him. But he remains unfazed and unmoving. He dropped her fist and all of a sudden, her back is slammed against the hood of her rental car. She grunted against the force as she stared at Klaus, who is leaning down toward her. He looks beyond angry with her for a reason she knows nothing about.

"You son of a bitch! You just assaulted a federal agent."

Barrow struggled to get out of his grip but his position above her prevented her from getting out of this situation. He did not budge at all, which she finds extremely terrifying. She likes Klaus well enough, despite his occasional surges of anger. He reminds her a bit of Kol, unable to control anger and changing drastically different moods as easy as flicking a light switch.

But she is the one being threatened right now; she is the one who has to fight back.

" . . ." She growled.

Klaus looks extremely menacing, and if she weren't who she is, she'd be terrified. She does not fear for her life like she should. They both continued to glare at each other and neither of them looks to be willing to back down.

"Why did you lie to me?"

"Klaus, do you trust me?" Sydney asked.

He pondered over the question for a few seconds, lips pursed. She blinked at him calmly despite being in a defensive position with him.

"No, not really."

"_Klaus._" She hissed.

Klaus sighed and looked down at her. He reached for the emerald color necklace just below her neck and ran his thumb through it. His blue eyes concentrated on the gem as if there is something wrong with it. He nodded solemnly at her before releasing his grip on her.

"Sorry, it's Caroline." He muttered as he repositioned himself.

Sydney rolled her eyes and got up from her car. She dusted herself, straightening out her FBI jacket.

"She's manipulating you, Klaus. Don't let her do it." Barrow opened the backseat of her rental car and pulled out a spare FBI jacket.

When she turned back to Klaus, she tossed the jacket at him. He caught it instinctively and put it on quickly.

"Why am I impersonating an FBI agent? Isn't this illegal, love?"

Sydney pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper from her jacket pocket and handed it to him. He snatched it, eyes crinkling as they read over the small text.

"The clerk of this store sold Kol matches two weeks before his disappearance. I want to find out where he has been."

Klaus raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know Kol bought matches?"

Sydney pursed her lips as she walked past him.

"It's classified."

"Very well, then."

Klaus followed the federal agent into the small convenience store. The store is definitely small, but there is something about this place that gives him the feeling that there is more to this store than meets the eye. There is something special about it; Kol wouldn't even waste a single second in this place if it weren't important.

"Ronald Yates, I'm Special Agent Barrow and this is my partner Mikaelson…" She shot him a look when she said it.

The tan-skinned man behind the counter backed up against the wall in fear. His eyes moved much too quickly for a completely innocent man; Barrow knows just what she needs to do.

"We would like to ask you a few questions about this man." Barrow pulled out a folded picture of Kol from her jacket pocket and slammed it against the counter table.

Yates leaned over to look at the picture, shaking his head quickly.

"Well then, please tell me what you are doing in this video clip." She pulled out her smartphone from her pocket and played a video of the security cam footage from the camera across the street from the store.

Her painted red nail of her index finger pointed at the smaller, but clear shot of Yates handing a box of matches over to Kol. He looked up at her with his lips twitching in a mixture of fear and anger. She eyed him carefully, knowing that he will either give in due to her and Klaus's intimidation or make an attempt at striking her.

"I'm just selling the man matches. I'm just doing my job!"

Barrow scoffed, gesturing for Klaus toward the brands of matches displayed behind the clerk. The Brit nodded at her and walked his way around the counter to retrieve one of each brand. She nodded at the clerk triumphantly as Klaus dropped the various brands on the table.

"Look at the box you are giving him. It is completely green. None of your brands have green boxes."

Klaus is a bit puzzled at this point. He has no idea what her endgame is; he just knows how she will extract information out of Yates.

"We stopped using the brand and changed to these…" Yates gestured toward the match brands on the table.

Scoffing, Barrow shook her head.

"I checked your store's records, you did not undergo any brand changes in the last three years."

"So what are you accusing me of, agent?" Yates asked, folding both arms across his chest.

He looks over confident that Barrow will not extract anything out of him. Knowing Barrow, Klaus knows that she will find a way.

"I'm not accusing you of anything, I just want to talk." She leaned forward against the counter and grinned at him.

Yates nodded slowly, paranoid of what she is trying to do. She looks extremely untrustworthy and for an FBI agent, she still does.

"Kol was a very good friend of mine. Behind me is Agent Mikaelson, who is Kol's older brother. He, too, is a lover of art." She gestured behind her.

Klaus instantly understands where she is going with this. Barrow stepped aside to let Klaus approach the man; he did so with a friendly smile on his face, as uncharacteristic as it is for him.

"Da Vinci or Michelangelo?" Yates asked as if he is challenging him.

"Michelangelo."

"Monet or van Gogh?"

"Monet."

"Picasso or Simonet?"

"Simonet, of course!" Klaus scoffed, shaking his head.

Yates nodded at the Brit, extracting a piece of paper from under the counter. He slammed it on the table and pulled a pen from the side. Barrow grinned in accomplishment as she watched the clerk write something down on the paper. After Yates finished, he handed the piece of paper to Klaus.

"That was the address written on the match I sold to Kol." He said to Klaus.

Smiling, Klaus handed the piece of paper to Sydney.

"Thank you, Mr. Yates." Sydney said appreciatively as she walked out of the store.

When Klaus emerged beside her, she pulled him into a hug. Surprised, he slowly returned the gesture. He didn't realize that finding this lead would mean so much for her.

"Thank you for following along." She whispered.

Klaus is ready to release her in this embrace but she doesn't seem to want to let go. It is very uncharacteristic of her to be so affectionate and thankful.

"Uh… Sydney, do you want to tell me what the hell is going on?"

Grinning, she released her grip on him and nodded.

"Yes, I'll fill you in on everything on our way to this address."

* * *

**A/N: Yes guys, I know I am confusing more and more by the chapter. It will all come to full circle eventually, but this chapter's weird shit will be explained in the next chapter!**

**And heck yeah at Sydney hugging Klaus! But do you guys think Barrow is pioneering this whole thing?**


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